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Wesley Mitchell is up to bat. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat -
SE pitcher Jaden Lewis hurls a pitch. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat
Southeastern powered past University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in the first game last week before utilizing timely hitting to complete a season- opening baseball sweep at Mike Metheny Field.
The Savage Storm smashed their way to a 10-1 triumph in the opener and then posted 5-4 and 11-4 victories in Friday’s twinbill.
Coach Zach Crabtree’s club will be right back home this weekend for a three-game series against Newman University slated to begin with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Friday.
In the opener, several Savage Storm players had impressive debuts but it was a returning regular that got things off and running when Reid Rice belted a solo home run to right in his first at bat of the season in the second inning.
Newcomer Cody Grimsley added a run-scoring hit in the second as well before Rice returned to the plate one frame later and smoked a two-run shot over the leftfield wall.
Grimsley got in on the long ball action in the sixth stanza, driving in a pair. Yanluis Ortiz chipped in another tworun blast in the seventh and John David Muse smacked a solo shot as well in the eighth inning to account for five Southeastern homers of their 10-hit total on the day.
Grimsley went three for three at the plate while Rice and Ortiz each provided two of the hits. Damon Burroughs, Muse and Austin Thorp all had one hit.
Cameron Hauch worked six strong innings on the mound, yielding one unearned run on two hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Jared Barta notched two frames of scoreless relief with Charlie Deeds adding one.
Southeastern looked like it might run away with game two as well, building a 5-1 edge in the fourth before having to hold on down the stretch as the Savage Storm went scoreless over the final four innings.
Burroughs doubled and Ortiz singled him home for the game’s initial tally in the third frame.
They tacked on four more runs in the fourth, sending eight batters to the plate. Nick Hill got things started with a double with Muse driving in one with a single and Cody Bonstrom knocking in two more with another hit two batters later.
Southpaw Dylan Turner twirled six strong frames as well, allowing two runs on three hits, but a couple of unearned runs by the visitors narrowed the gap to just one run.
Brody Logsdon recorded the save with a scoreless ninth in which he didn’t allow any hits and struck out one.
Hill and Muse tallied two hits apiece, combining for half of Southeastern’s eight total hits. Burroughs, Bonstrom, Ortiz and Grimsley each posted one hit.
The Savage Storm used a first inning long ball barrage in the series finale to jump out to a 6-0 lead. Bonstrom plated two of the runs with his first homer and Brady Evans also blasted a grand slam.
Colorado Springs narrowed the margin to two runs in the fifth before a Rice triple and Mitchell run-scoring double made it 7-4.
Bonstrom tossed in another two-run hit with a sixth inning double with Hill and Cache Stone knocking in one apiece for the final margin.
Jackson Sioson was the third of four Southeastern pitchers and was credited with the win in one and a third frames of scoreless one-hit relief.